Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,370 concerns a “Tri-Mix Sugar Based Dispensing System.” This patent describes a beverage dispensing system that separates the highly concentrated flavoring from the sweetener and the diluent. This separation allows for the creation of numerous beverage options using several flavor modules and one universal sweetener. One of the objectives of the patent is to allow a beverage dispenser to provide as many beverages as may be available on the market in prepackaged bottles or cans. U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,370 is incorporated herein by reference.
These separation techniques, however, generally have not been applied to juice dispensers. Rather, juice dispensers typically have a one-one correspondence between the juice concentrate stored in the dispenser and the products dispensed therefrom. As such, consumers generally can only choose from a small number of products given the necessity of significant storage space for the concentrate. A conventional juice dispenser thus requires a large footprint in order to offer a wide range of different products.
Another issue with known juice dispensers is that the last mouthful of juice in the cup may not be properly mixed such that a large slug of undiluted concentrate may remain. This problem may be caused by insufficient agitation of the viscous juice concentrate. The result often is an unpleasant taste and an unsatisfactory beverage.
Thus, there is a desire for an improved beverage dispenser system that can accommodate a wide range of different beverages. Preferably, the beverage dispenser can offer a wide range of juice-based products within a reasonable footprint. Further, the products offered by the beverage dispenser should be properly mixed throughout the beverage.